It is known to extensively use at present diverse methods of and tools for cleaning the cylindrical surfaces of various metal and nonmetal workpieces, said methods being as follows:
(1) dip-scouring; PA1 (2) treatment with abrasive wheels and belts; PA1 (3) treatment in special snagging machines; PA1 (4) treatment with rotary metal brushes; PA1 (5) needle-milling. PA1 B.sub.1 stands for the width of the surface established by the ends of the tool cutting elements held together; PA1 .phi..sub.o =.phi..sub.1 /.phi. is the ratio between the density of arrangement of the ends of cutting elements on the surface defined by their ends held together, and the density of arrangement of the ends of cutting elements on the tool cutting surface; PA1 l indicates the length of cutting elements; PA1 D means the diameter of the tool cutting surface, PA1 D stands for the diameter of the tool cutting surface; PA1 D.sub.o denotes the diameter of the surface being treated; PA1 .DELTA. is the amount of interference of the tool with the surface being treated (to be determined technologically).
Most commonly applicable in the present-day cleaning practice is the continuous dipping method and stationary-bath dipping of cylindrical surfaces of various workpieces and materials.
However, the disadvantages inherent in chemical dipping process is a matter of common knowledge, i.e., it causes environmental contamination, produces harmful effect upon attending personnel and involves much capital investments and operating costs.
Cylindrical surfaces of various workpieces and materials are also known to be cleaned with abrasives in special stationary machines.
However, abrasive wheels and belts feature but low endurance, while if used for treating tough or ductile materials, they are liable to get smeared and form burnt spots on the surface being machined.
Furthermore, abrasive cleaning of cylindrical surfaces is a labourious and costly process which badly affects automation owing to low endurance of the abrasive tools used.
Abrasive cleaning is incapable of efficiently machining tough nonferrous materials, such as aluminium, copper, etc.
In addition, abrasive tools lade the surrounding atmosphere with abrasive dust in the course of machining.
Cleaning of cylindrical surfaces of workpieces and materials can also be carried out in special snagging grinders.
However, such machines are capable of removing only surface flaws for a minimum depth of 0.5 mm, thus being not suitable for cleaning off thin scale.
One of the cardinal disadvantages of said method resides in heavy losses of metal and great consumption of snagging tools.
Used in the present-day practice is the cleaning of cylindrical surfaces of metal surfaces with the use of rotary brushes having inside cutting surface (cf., e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,184 Cl. 15/104.04).
Said brushes contain each a number of gangs of radially arranged "bristles" held together with their one end and forming the tool working surface, with their other end, said "bristles" being held together in a gang along the outside perimeter thereof to form a ring in a cross section of the tool.
However, the known brushes fail to cut off scale from the blank surfaces or form cross notches on the surface being machined for retaining grease during further machining in drawing benches, being suitable only for partial removal of outside loosened layer of rust and dirt.
There is finding ever extending application at present one more method of cleaning cylindrical surfaces with the use of a cutting tool, i.e., needle-type milling cutter. This is accounted for by the fact that such tools possess high cutting capacity and are convenient and simple in operation.
There pertains to such tools a rotary cutting tool, comprising a number of elastic cutting elements arranged radially on an arbor and made as equal-length wire segments held together with their one ends in a close proximity to which said cutting elements are forced against one another with their side surface, whereas the opposite vacant ends thereof establish the tool cutting surface shaped as a surface of revolution, the ratio between the sum of the face areas of the vacant ends of the wire segments on the tool cutting surface and the total area of the tool cutting surface being within 0.10 to 0.99 (cf. e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,900). Said tool features its cutting elements aggregated into gangs interlaid by spacer rings within the zone of their ends held together, so that the curvature of the cutting surface in the tool cross section follows substantially the curvature of the surface being machined.
However, said known tool is applicable largely for cleaning the surface of rolled stock and peeling cast workpieces, has a restricted use in cleaning small-diameter cylindrical surfaces and is quite inapplicable for treating wire rods. This is explained by the fact that such a treatment produces longitudinal grooves or notches on the surface thereof rather than transverse ones, the former being incapable of retaining grease on the wire rod surface which is indispensable for further treatment of wire rods in wire drawing machines.